The present invention relates to holders for wireless microphones.
Wireless microphones require batteries to power their electronic components such as their transmitters. Most wireless microphones today require battery replacement after only a few hours of use. Such replacement is expensive, is time consuming, risks damaging the microphone and its components and burdens the environment with dead batteries. Some microphones can use rechargeable batteries which can be recharged in a separate recharging station.
Wireless telephones and cell phones generally have rechargeable batteries which can be recharged in their home station or by a separate recharging unit.
The present invention overcomes prior art deficiencies in recharging batteries in wireless microphones by providing a pair of electrical terminals in a standard microphone holder mountable on a stand and connected to a recharging power supply for recharging rechargeable batteries in the microphone during use or when the microphone is positioned for use. In one embodiment, the holder is designed to mate with the microphone only when the microphone is properly oriented to engage its recharging terminals with the terminals on the holder. In another embodiment, first terminals of each of the microphone and holder terminals are axially centered while the other of the microphone and holder terminals are axially offset with one axially offset terminal being annular to ensure contact with different microphone orientations in the holder.
An advantage of the present invention is that the microphone does not require any special handling or recharging unit. The user simply puts the microphone in its holder on the stand ready for use and the recharging begins automatically. The only special handling is when the rechargeable battery is replaced at the end of its life such as once every two or more years.